We need an attitude of "I will go, I will do..."

It's really interesting being in a ward here. They are functioning like a ward but they have fewer people showing up than my last branch. it is really interesting having carpet in the church though. I am now attteding in the same chapel as Elder Simmons one of my former companions. He is my zone leader now.

This week has also been interesting. We went out to work last week after our p-day and I wasn't feeling all that great but I figured I was good enough. We knocked a door. the man came out and brought chairs and I ended up throwing up in the ditch off the side of the road. He was nice and brought out a few napkins and some water to help out. We then just went home and I ended up throwing up 6 or 7 more times before morning. not all that fun but the guy we found let us teach him when we went back, and I was back to good the next day. So, it worked out.

That was about the most exciting thing this week. We also found a less active member who had an interesting story. He said I was studying engineering but I had to stop because other things came up in my life. I was going to get a different job but my parents didn't let me. I was also studying Italian but I stopped because my wife said she would rather me not. I also was building an electric project and it didn't work because I didn't have enough power. I tried to fix the iron but there was more than just a little piece to replace. And best of all I didn't go to church the last two weeks because I didn't have an iron to iron my shirts.

I was thinking about all the excuses I can make and think it wouldn't be a bad idea to take control of the situations I am put in more. We in the mission say creature of circumstances and creator of circumstances. How different would it have been in Nephi's life if he had said well, I guess I could have got the brass plates, built a boat and made it to the land of promise, but I didn't because my brothers tried to kill me and beat me and tied me up. I'm glad he instead took control of his circumstances and made things better. His attitude was "I will go, I will do..." we can do so much more if we have that attitude.

Elder Dallin Skouson

Elders Simmons and Skouson

        Elders Skouson and Simmons

Elder Condori and Skouson

Transferred to Resistencia. When we try to serve with all we can, we can really help people out.

So, now I am in the area of the mission office, the mission home, and the center of Resistencia.

The transfer was interesting. One of the days before the transfer Elder Whiting and I decided to talk to a ton of people super excitedly instead of just going where our plans are and talking to a few people on the way. We had a lot of success and I am going to try to apply it as a tactic in my new area as well.

I am with an Elder from Peru, Elder Condori. I was with him for a day one time and he and his companion had just planned to visit less actives... and they didn't leave invitations. I had to try to do that. That was in one of my first few months in the mission before I could talk or understand. Anyway, I am going to make sure that we work hard here!

He also was just companions with my companion from the MTC Elder Remund. Elder Remund is now where I was. We just switched spots.

I'm going to have to let you know more how my area is going after I get a little more time here. Today was day 2.

When I left Clorinda it was definitely hard. I said bye to Anselmo and he just said, "Thank you for everything. Thank you so much."  It was really a neat experience. When we try to serve with all we can, we can really help people out. As I watched out the window, as the city left my view in the bus, it was quite the feeling to be leaving these people that I had known and served.

Love you all,

Elder Dallin Skouson

I'm now in Resistencia in the Province of Chaco.  I'm in the right bottom of the yellow part of the map. 

Feels like 3 weeks in 1. Happy and Very Sad.

This letter is a little long.  Sorry about that, I promise it's only 1 week.

Hermana Scadlock in my mission passed away this week. She died of an intestinal infection. They think it was e coli but I don’t know how sure they are. She was in my district. It's very sad. 

Well, I am going to write this in chronological order because I think that makes most sense.

Sunday, we had District conference. No one from our area showed up except Anselmo and his family. He and his less active girlfriend and 2 of their kids were there. We were glad they showed up. Then during the meeting, Hermana Hanks rushed out followed by her companion Hermana Scadlock and our Zone Leaders right behind. After the meeting we passed by the hospital to find out that Hermana Scadlock was not very well and later that night we found out she got driven to Resistencia by the Gonzolez family in the branch.

That night we also passed by Anselmo and made sure we could get some papers from Formosa to help them get married before his baptism. He said he needed the birth certificate for his son. He also said he needed his own but didn’t know where it was. So, we called the Elders out in Formosa and asked them to get it Monday and pass it to our zone leaders in their conference so we could get it Tuesday to submit the papers Wednesday to get them married Friday (our branch president is friends with the Judge so he could help us get it done fast) and have the baptism Saturday. That was our plan anyway. 

The Zone leaders had their conference in Resistencia Tuesday and we got the paper from the Elders in Formosa. We got the birth certificate for Anselmo’s son and we started a zone fast for Hermana Scadlock. We went to visit Anselmo and he said he still needed his birth certificate. He said his mom finally told him where it was. She didn’t want them to get married. We weren’t so sure he needed it, or that he couldn’t use his older one so we moved forward, but asked the Elders in Formosa to get it.

We had a Zone conference Wednesday and we found out that they were going to be sending Hermana Scadlock to Buenos Aires and then when she was more stable home. We were all fasting and praying for her and we all were going to write letters to her as well. We then did divisions. I was with Elder Tapia. His companion is the one that I was with last time that was having a little bit of trouble. We got some calls that Anselmo was missing some stuff so we went straight to his house when we could. Elder Tapia had just finished this process, so he knew what was up with everything. He needed a few more papers and we helped him know where to get it all. We asked him to try again with his old birth certificate the next day.

We also thought about it and calculated that he needed to take out a loan of about 100 pesos or 10 dollars. We decided to help him out and bought 100 pesos of stuff for him. My companion was also going to go to the clinic with Elder Vargus, Elder Tapia’s companion. We took him 1000 pesos to help pay for all of that. (it turns out now that the Elder is just more homesick than anything else).

The next day was Thursday. We left to go to Barrio Aca and were stopped on the way by Anselmo and Lisandra. They said they had some new papers and they also needed Anselmo’s birth certificate before 5 that same day. (the place was staying open late just for them to submit it, thanks to the Judge being friends with our branch president again) We called the missionaries in Formosa and asked them to send it with Hermana Hanks who was coming back to pack up some stuff.  They sent it in the bus and we asked the zone leaders to pick it up for us. We also found out we needed 2 signatures of our witnesses from across town.

We then ended our divisions and headed to get the signature. We were super lucky to find a ride from one of the members. We got a signature and then headed to the Zone leaders apartment to get Anselmo’s birth certificate

As we walked into the apartment the atmosphere was quite different. Elder Valdez our Zone leader was there. He said with a wavering voice, "We got news that Hermana Scadlock passed away." We were quite stunned. He said, "president says, don’t worry about the clock. If there is anything we can do for you we are here." We asked if there was anything we could do for him, and hugged him.  He said, "we also got the form, this will help out with the baptism."

We left the apartment in quite a different frame of mind, although the news hadn’t hit us quite yet. My companion is her district leader as well. We bought some veggies and then passed by a member who gave us lunch to take. We went to our apartment and had lunch and then a very different companionship study.  It was somber. 

We rushed the paper to Anselmo and then contacted a little bit. We found a man who just looked sad. We talked to him and he said he had been convicted of murder. He'd already served a few years. He said he didn’t do it, but there was a look of guilt he couldn’t hide in his eyes. It hit me in this moment how much guilt must really come from that. He told us,  "I only want to be happy like you guys." We testified of the atonement of Christ and told him where the church was. We then passed by Anselmo and they were going to get married at 11 the next day. We got there at 1040 and were a little worried that they weren’t there yet, but they got there and they got married. We were super happy for them and they were very happy as well.  That afternoon they had their interview and I got to work with Elder Dana for an hour. We talked to one of his investigators who is getting married this week we hope. We had a really good lesson with an investigator who showed up for church this Sunday as well for the first time. Then, we rushed home to get in at 7 again because they are having a parade here. 

Married at last. 

We then had the baptism for Anselmo Saturday and everything went well. I got to perform the baptism and we were very happy for his choice to follow Christ. Sunday he got there for his conformation without a problem and said to a member, "My baptism was good. I just can’t wait for the gift of the Holy Ghost." He is a great guy.  We then went to Resistencia that night for a memorial for Hermana Scadlock the next day. I got to sleep in the apartment of Elder Remund again. He was my companion in the MTC. It was good to get to see him again. His Spanish is improving (last time I saw him he would just teach reading off the back of the pamphlets).

Anselmo's baptism! 

We then had the memorial Monday with our zone and all of the missionaries who got here with Hermana Scadlock. The memorial was very well done and in English so they could record it for the family. The sisters who got here with her all spoke, and it was a good experience to hear stories from Hermana Scadlock’s mission and get to know who she was a little bit better.

We then traveled back to Clorinda last night.

   Clorinda zone after memorial service.    

So, I feel like I had my last p-day 3 weeks ago. But, that was all in 1 week. I have also learned a lot. We all have expectations of what we will get in life. We will live to be 80. We will have good neighbors. We will have our car work tomorrow. But if we think about it, all of that comes from God. He has given us everything and even when we feel like we were cheated, we need to remember we have more than nothing. I also have really been thinking about how important it is to be prepared. This life is the time to prepare to meet God. We never know when we will be called into that interview to tell him face to face what our works were in this world.

It's really comforting to know that there is a life after this one, and that all will be resurrected through Christ's atonement.

I love you. 

Love,

Elder Dallin Skouson

The need for divine help

This week I have been looking a lot at humility and have learned a lot. One experience we had was with a member that is on the edge of activity. She comes to church about once a month. We had a lesson with her Sunday to try to help her see the importance of the church. We asked, "how do we sometimes reject Christ in our lives like they did in Jerusalem?" She said, "there are many murderers and bad people out there who don't want to listen." We then had to ask "what did you do this morning to reject Christ?" to make it actually sink in. Then I thought about my own life and the things I need to change to accept Christ more fully in my life. We are no better off than those we share the gospel with. I need to improve just as much as they do, and we need divine help to find and repent of our problems.

We also have had a really good experience with an investigator. He asked us how we can say that little children don't need to be be baptized. We just told him, "these are the words Christ said about that," and we read in Moroni 8: 8-9.

8  "Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me.

9 And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore, my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children."

It was a very powerful experience for all of us and my eyes were opened to why the words were put that way. We explained and he had quite a few questions about the plan God has for us.

To close the lesson off he told us his prayer would be strong. We got a little nervous and said, "okay." We didn't know what to expect but he asked God to care for the baby that his girlfriend had aborted. God knows what his children need and He will guide his servants to know what to teach and to what depth. We have experienced the promises to the missionaries being fulfilled. The spirit will put the words in our mouths.

Love,
Elder Skouson

Examples can be very powerful. The gospel changes people!

This week we did divisions and I got put with a very new Elder. He has 3
weeks in the mission and had a very different view of the mission than I
did for sure. The first thing he does in companionship study is start
telling me how much he missed the MTC, I was thinking, yeah the food was
pretty good, but then he starts going off about how he liked one of the
sisters and was pretty sure she liked him. I am not sure why he tried to
bring that drama on the mission but I talked to the district leader who
talked with his trainer and him and they are working it out. One of his
friends from home who was here in this mission went home early for some
inappropriate things he was doing. His leaders told him about what happened
to his friend and he is now looking to improve a lot.

We were able to share a great lesson with some members in our area who are
going to church occasionally. We shared the story of Lehonti in Alma and
how he came down off the mountain, traded his relative safety for the
power of controlling an army and then was betrayed by the very man that
proposed the plot. We told the family no one wants to be Lehonti.  Keep all
the commandments even the slightest disobedience is taking you down
off the mountain a little. They understood quite well and now no one
wants to be a Lehonti.

We also have explained about how Oscar had stopped reading the Book of
Mormon for a few weeks and then fell back into drugs. They got the
picture very clearly and were able to apply it to their own life.

Examples when applied to us can be very powerful. If we are willing to
learn from the mistakes and successes of others we can avoid a lot of
time lost and possible painful experiences.

We are also really excited for Anselmo, one of our investigators. He
has been able to avoid hanging out with his friends that make him
drink for 3 weeks now, and is looking to get married and baptized. We
have been working with him and his wife for about 2 months now and
have seen some great changes in every part of their life---In their
relationship, their parenting, their overall happiness and their
dedication to the Lord. The gospel changes people! It's been great to
see their progress.

Sorry there are no pictures this week. 

Love,
Elder Dallin Skouson

Editor's note a few weeks ago we received this note from Elder Skouson's companion.  
Skousons, 

Your son is a great missionary. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from him and serve at his side. He has a great desire to serve the Lord, strives to have the spirit, and works hard. He is definitely one of a kind.

Elder Whiting

Yes, that made his mom very happy!!